Race Origins

The Mingits are one of the three main races in the story of Arangoth's pre-history, along with the Gemarinds (known to others as Igmerinds) and the Sopts. They're a storied race of refugees, and resorted to interbreeding with the Sopts in order to continue as a race. They are the furthest-reaching of any human race, having a quarter or section of every urban center on Veth. Any Mingit will be welcomed in any Mingit home, but the same cannot be said of other races coming for a visit.

History

The Mingit Empire once contained present-day Vallaria, Leturia, and Zul Kiras. They were known about the world for their thkarsh husbandry, giant birds that they used as beasts of burden for millennia before the Age of Turmoil. After the Igmerinds fled their empire due to the Rintrider scourge, the scourge turned to the Mingit Empire. Though they had a red-haired queen, an omen of terrific luck, the Mingits stood no chance against the nomadic army. They soon found themselves refugees of the Sopt Kingdom same as the Igmerinds. The Sopts were eventually overthrown by the Igmerinds, and the Mingits were left in a peculiar spot. Most decided to stay with the Igmerinds in the Second Igmerind Kingdom.

When the Igmerinds took over the Sopts, they quickly became tyrannical, the king quickly becoming jealous of the Mingits and their thkarsh. He ordered them all executed, and the Mingits were powerless to stop the metal-wielding Igmerinds. Understandably outraged, the Mingits left the Igmerinds, never to return. The Sopts that were dissatisfied with the usurpation of their king by the Igmerinds left along with the Mingits, and it's likely that without them the Mingit race would not be existent today. This Sopt interbreeding is largely the reason that some Mingits have varying features than the usual green eyes and black hair, but even with the Sopt blood it's a rarity.

The Mingits traveled far to find a home, ignoring an Igmerind plea for help against the Leturians and being bestowed a curse by the Igmerind king that has never allowed the Mingits to have a permanent homeland, even to this day. By the time the Mingits had returned to their homeland, the Leturians were the sole rulers, and the Igmerinds had already branched out into Elvendeep and beyond. The Mingits had no choice but to seek refuge acrossed the globe and hope one day they would be able to return to their historic homeland. To this day, the curse remains, and Mingits resent Igmerinds and their Arangothian offspring to this day.

Culture

Mingits have a reputation for being extraordinarily heavy drinkers but they shun inns, preferring intimate company. They often form the merchant caste of most cultures among whom they live and are very insular otherwise. They tend to live densely and have a rich oral and musical tradition.

Mingit districts are characterized by narrow, crowded streets and brick houses built closely together in clusters around central courtyards. The houses never have windows facing outwards but only inwards towards these courtyards. The Mingits value fountains and public baths for cleanliness but tend to hold inns and taverns in disdain.

Though the Sopts largely allow for some variety in the Mingit bloodlines, red-haired children are killed immediately after birth. They're seen as a horrific omen after the fall of the Mingit Empire, and it is for this reason that nobody will ever meet a ginger Mingit.